Afternoon, gentlemen.

I'm looking to possibly do my first finance on a car come December/January. Any ZHP owners here? Curious as to what you all think of it in comparison to an e36 M3 or other cars of the same calibur. I've been pro-BMW since day one and don't plan on switching teams until I can afford Porsche/Ferrari . I currently own a '93 325is and am just sick of constant maintinence issues. I want to be able to take a drive without having to look over my shoulder at what doesn't feel right or is on it's way out. I'd like to change my weekends from doing fixes to doing drives that I can fully enjoy!

I'll be putting 12k down, and will not pay over $24-26kish (depending on where prices are in 6 months) on the car. I have no idea what kind of rate I'll get, but I don't mind either way. I'll pay what I can to get myself something I'm passionate about. With that kind of price, I'll be getting one between 40-60k miles.

Enough blabbing! Any known problems? How do they handle? Can anyone provide advice on what to look for in these cars?

Thanks in advance, guys. Any info is appreciated. Have a good day!

 

Look at the sapphire black ZHP coupe on E46fanatics. It's so hot I can't touch it!

I'm almost ready to ACTIVELY sell my M3 though (JoeyG from bfc, Dakar Yellow M).

 

Hey I'm in the market right now (don't know if i should be) and endless internet hours have been wasted looking at ZHP's around the country. If you're looking for a car in the 40-60k mile range the prices aren't too steep. Expect to pay between 22 and 25 for a car with those miles on it. 03/04's with high 20k miles to mid 30's are going for 26-30
then newer ones with low miles are for low 30's but you dont see many being sold above 33. Hope this helps. You can search the CPO inventory on bmwusa by searching for 3 series and arranging the results by transmission. A lot of manuals will be the zhp.
G luck!
Oz

 

i have a 2004 imola red sedan with six speed. i love everything about the car except for what i consider a lack of power. however coming from a 1000RR, corvette, 911 and an M5 lack of power is only relative. overall it is a great practical vehicle and when compared to my gf's newly acquired 330xi it is a world of difference. ride is never harsh and the car is always balanced. the short shifter is a welcome feature over the long throw m3 and the seats are very well bolstered. i read a bunch of articles when i was looking at cars and there were really no negative reviews pertaining to the zhp. you get a lot of hardware from the factory and on the used market the package unfortunately does not add a lot of value. you will be able to get a good deal on a nice used one. as someone else mentioned, go to e46fanatics.com and you will find a wealth of information on it.

btw, i am selling mine so feel free to PM me as my asking price will be on the lower end of your range and currently have 34k mi. of course i am happy to answer any and all general questions as well.

 

Thanks for the info, guys. Forunately for me, the fastest car I've been in (don't laugh) is my '93 325is. None of my friends have decent cars, and I feel stupid asking for rides at meets, so I don't! From what I've read, the ZHP is significantly quicker than my 325, so the power department shouldn't feel lacking.

I did a lot of reading on e46fanatics and have decided that I'm interested in a warranty. A couple questions regarding that though... If I buy from a dealer, they can offer me a warranty even though I'm buying used, right? I'd like to keep my maintinence to oil changes and other minor things rather than play the game I'm playing with my current car. Also, can they transfer cars between dealers? In example, if a CA dealer has the exact car I'm looking for, can they ship it to my local dealer so I can check it out and purchase it there?

JoeyG - Hey man. I've spoken to you a couple of times on BFC. I checked out that car, and that's basically exactly what I'm looking for (minus the gold wheels.) Gorgeous. It just reinforces my decision on going in debt for one.

 

most dealers will not bother "transferring" cars from one place to the other. transferring is a tricky word as it implies that the dealers are the same, when usually they are not. i am sure most will be happy to ship you the vehicle. as far as warranty, look at easy care. they seem to be the best aftermarket warranty and are backed by ford if i am not mistaken so should be around for at least a few more years =). as far as extended maintenance from bmw, you can buy that at any time prior to the regular maintenance expiring. aftermarket warranties are best purchased before the car warranty expires and before 40k miles. also, keep in mind that no one will ship a car across the country just so that you can look at it and then decide to purchase...

the zhp was rated at 0-60 at 5.6 seconds and very low 14's in the quarter, u r right, not exactly slow...

hope this helps.

 

I'm headed to the dealer tomorrow after work to crunch some numbers and, if I'm feeling spunky, take a testdrive... I'll inquire about all the financing junk tomorrow. This is the first time I've ever needed to finance a car, so this is all 100% foreign to me. I've always been against debt, so I hope this decision is a good one (even though it's somewhat far away).

I'll check out all those warranties and maintinence programs. I wish I could afford an M, but that's just impractical at this point in life.

How difficult are desired color combos and options to come by? Just from searching around on Autotrader and Craigslist, ZHPs seem almost non-existant unless you're in the for sale section of an enthusiast board. Ideally, I want a Black (Maybe Alpine White) coupe sub 60k miles for 24ish. I hope this isn't impossible to find! Also, how lenient can dealers be on prices? I'm no salesman, but I'm not easy to persuade.

Thanks again for all your help. I appreciate the time!

 

definitely test drive the car when u go to the dealer. dont leave w/o doing that. that is ur final answer on weather or not the car is right for YOU.

find out the financing OPTIONS from your dealer. i would not let them run ur credit unless you are buying the car. if you know your credit score and it is above 700 then you should be able to get a loan between 6-7%. also, keep in mind that the dealers almost always mark up the apr they are selling. if they tell you the best we can do is x then ask them which bank they are using. call the bank the next day and see what you can do on your own. then go back to them and ask them to match it. they usually will as it is still a sale vs. nothing.

color combos on used cars will be difficult. if you are very set on a color it may be a while before a good example shows up in front of you and then you may have to pay extra for it. if you are flexible, then it may be a lot easier. i would also expand my cars.com and autotrader search to include other parts of the country. there are roughly 10 zhp in total available w/in 150 mile radius of chicago.

if you are looking for a convertible there is a nice one on e46fanatics, but it is a 2006 and it will be over $30k.

also, as far as price on used cars it is hard to tell. every car is different, unlike new cars where all are the same. be prepared to get some pressure to buy the car right away as they do not like to see people walk away. also, if you dont love the car you are looking at, but would not mind owning it for the "right" price, just low ball them and see what happens. there is a good chance you will get a call back if you walk out even if they originally say no.

on the other hand be courteous, if you ask for a price and they say yes, then be sure you will buy the car, otherwise you just wasted a bunch of people's time.

also, sub $24's should be possible. but keep in mind that in some states there are tax benefits in purchasing from individuals vs. owners. just another variance to consider.

enjoy.

 

and i am thinking a 2004 model year when i said sub $24's...

 

They're really cool cars, and there seems to be a few laying around for sale. There is a nice one for sale in the M5board.com For Sale section. Great condition, good miles, stock, asking 29K. Only ceatch is it has no sunroof.

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=94304

I'm friends with an ex-owner who dumped his E39 M5 for one, he liked that it was more tossable and agile. Stock suspension is firm and responsive, good brakes and steering feel. He added Dinan exhaust, intake, and software to bump the power a little. He thought that this in that form it was perfect.

 

that car is identical to mine. the no sunroof thing is fairly common to the zhp's... as mentioned earlier i would be willing to sell mine for significantly less than that and mine is an august of 2004 purchase vehicle...

i also dont know who the seller is, he appers relatively new to the board...

 

Thanks again for the advice guys. I appreciate you taking the time!

I went to the dealer last night to speak with a salesman about what my options will be once the time is right. They didn't have anything even relative to what I was looking for and the prices were pretty different than what I found through the BMWUSA website. They wanted 34k for an '05 ZHP automatic sedan with 40k miles. NO THANKS!

The salesman I talked to was a complete jerk and just plain didn't want to help me. I didn't get any real decent information out of him because I was just sick of dealing with him from the get go. Though, from everything I did find out, looks like I'll be buying from a private party and not a dealer.

Since I have to be patient now, I'm pretty adamant on a Black or White Coupe on Alcantara with 6 speed. The plan was to not sell my current car, put 12k down, finance the rest. Due to having to spend $400 on it (sigh) this weekend, looks like I'll be selling it and placing more like $18k down and financing the rest. I've been all over e46Fanatics and there looks to be quite an abundance of information there.

Just wanted to thank all of you guys (04ImolaZHP especially) for all the help on this. Have a good one guys!

 

hey, no problem at all. if you need anything else let me know. just keep in mind that the alcantera seats will be hard to find. also, i would suggest that you are open to some travel (less than 1000 mi.). i bought my M5 from a private guy in new york (i live in chicago) and got a fair price on a good car. if you expand your search area you will have a much higher chance of getting exactly what you want.

also, yes i agree with you, a 2005 should be more like $30k than $34k. also, not all dealers are asses but a good number of them are. gl and feel free to ask or share further.

oh, and regarding the gray one you posted, copy that window sticker since he pretty much has all options except for premium package (which on top of what he had included the auto dimming mirror, the blue tooth, and the sunroof); sunroof ($1,000 retail); auto ($1,250 retail); nav ($1,800). i think there were a couple of smaller itmess that i am missing. but you see why the ZHP's were rarely optioned out - total price would have been closer to $50k...